Trust in the Keeper of your Life

Psalm 16:1 Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.

What a beautiful prayer: "I'm counting on you!"

I know this Psalm gives voice for Jesus, our Messiah: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither...suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." (v. 10) None will suffer in the same way He did, but we all have our cross to bear, and we learn from our Lord. 

This helps as I remember hearing the woes of a friend, whom I will call "Steve." He had said something like: "My son dislikes me, my job is failing, I can't make ends meet, I fear my wife will leave." And then almost as an after thought he said, "And my only car is dying and I have no money to fix it." I knew he was catching rides to work so his wife could drive. And I knew he was faithful in church and well-regarded by his peers.

He had called me for counsel and I knew I just needed to listen. For an hour he told me the various problems: grown children colliding with life's obstacles, a son still home struggling with school and perils of adolescence, extended family troubles that spilled over into their life from time to time. His wife was devoted and faithful: he knew this in spite of his fears. But he could barely talk when he thought about how his various shortcomings and their many troubles had made it hard for her.

After long listening and a few pauses, by a miracle of grace I opened my Bible to Psalm 16 and, barely knowing what I was doing, read aloud: "Preserve me O God, for in Thee do I put my trust."

Steve began weeping loudly. Through the tears I heard, "That's what I pray everyday -- every day -- but God is nowhere to be found. He doesn't even know where I live. If he did He would come and help me!"

He had spoken the truth of his soul and was taken back at his own outburst. I had nothing to offer but God Himself, and of course "God Himself" is infinitely more than nothing. At the end of our rope He is all we have. Problem is, Steve already 'knew' God didn't care.

I wish I could say we talked and he left healed and trusting. Perhaps that is true in part but then, and now, Steve suffers daily with struggles downstream from what he shared with me that day. Is there any hope?

This morning I look to this verse and wonder what I can take away for Steve, for myself, and for all who suffer in this world, convinced God has forgotten them. I came away refusing to go to weary platitudes, if even I could. It is amazing how the simplest and worn of words can sometimes bring transforming grace. I know not what I have or what can help. I'm looking, and here's what I see.

• The preserving of God -- the keeping -- is very earthy, physical, life-sustaining. It entails all aspects of our life but it is grounded there: in the real feelings, fears, troubles, woes of every day life as we experience it.

• We do well when we come to God if we do not varnish the reality of our life but rather voice it to him as it is. He already knows all about it.

• Finally, there is no path in any direction without trust. God is our only hope when pressed to the wall and if we abandon hope in Him what do we have left? Ourselves alone, with all the hardship that brought us to the end of ourself.

At the end of ourself we learn to say, "in Thee do I put my trust."

Fling yourself on Him. He will come through for you when you need Him most if your trust is stayed on Him.